Chapter 710: Zhao Jingxuan Returns to Beijing
The quilt becomes colder as the night deepens, and I cannot fall asleep alone on my pillow.
Wei Qing was thinking about his wife and tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep until the second half of the night.
After falling asleep, he dreamed again. In his dream, he was riding a horse and chasing in one direction, as if there was something important there. Just when he was about to catch up, there was a knock on the door, waking him up from his sleep.
It was a servant knocking on the door, reminding him that it was time to get up and attend the morning court.
Wei Qing got up from the bed, his head feeling dizzy.
He opened the door and let the servant come in to help him dress.
"Sir, you have lost weight." The servant said as he tied his belt for him.
Can't you lose weight?
In the past, he could eat four bowls of rice. Since his wife left the capital, he could not see her and his appetite gradually decreased. Now he only eats one bowl of rice.
In the past, when he heard people say they couldn’t eat because they were worried about something, he couldn’t understand it.
The more worried he was, the more he ate!
Eat more and you won’t be so worried!
It wasn't until his wife was away that he understood this feeling.
I really have no appetite.
After Wei Qing washed up and had a simple breakfast, he went out.
Blown by the cold wind, Wei Qing finally became more sober.
It is spring now and the cold wind is biting.
He remembered that it was a cold winter when his wife left. Now winter has passed and spring has come, and the weather will soon be warmer.
Wife, when will you come back?
Wei Qing sighed silently, then got on the carriage prepared outside the door and headed for the palace.
When Wei Qing walked into the court hall, he happened to run into Master Liang.
Princess Liang had three brothers. The eldest brother, Liang Yu, was the chief academic officer of the Imperial College; the second brother, Liang Dong, was a junior tutor; and the third brother, Liang Duo, was a general who held military power and led troops outside.
Liang Yu doesn't take care of things, so the head of the Liang family is Liang Dong.
Liang Dong's face looked very bad, with a sickly pale complexion, and he coughed occasionally.
At the beginning, when the emperor entrusted Zhao Jingxuan with an important task, many court officials followed suit and thought that the Liang family was going to gain power, so they gathered around Liang Dong.
Now, the court officials all felt that with the Sixth Prince gone, the Liang family was completely finished, and they all wanted to stay away from Master Liang.
"Lord Liang." At this time, a voice sounded.
Liang Dong looked at the newcomer with a look of surprise on his face. Wu Yu, His Majesty's confidant, never took sides in the battle for the crown prince.
When the Liang family was in power, Wu Yu hadn't tried to curry favor with them. But now that the Liang family was in decline, Wu Yu actually approached him...
"Lord Wu." Liang Dong bowed to him in return.
"The weather is too cold. Lord Liang should take more care of his health." Wei Qing said.
"Lord Wu, my illness is not caused by the cold weather, but by my burning worries." Liang Dong sighed softly.
The Sixth Prince is in great danger, and the Liang family's greatest support is gone. This time, the two most outstanding juniors in the family were sent to protect the Sixth Prince. When the Sixth Prince got into trouble, the two juniors failed to protect him and were imprisoned in jail.
The Liang family has now been deprived of their financial resources and it will be difficult for them to recover.
Unless... unless the Sixth Prince is still alive.
But it has been more than two months, and all the people sent have given up the search, so this possibility no longer exists.
"Your Highness the Sixth Prince is a lucky man and will definitely come back." Wei Qing said.
Liang Dong just thought he was comforting himself, but it is easy to add icing on the cake, but it is difficult to provide timely help. The Liang family has fallen to this point, and Lord Wu is still comforting himself. He will remember this kindness.
"Then I will take your blessing, sir."
The two of them walked into the hall side by side, and many people looked at them in surprise.
Lord Wu is His Majesty's confidant, so why is he so close to Liang Dong?
Could it be that His Majesty still favors the Sixth Prince? !
Even if Your Majesty favors the Sixth Prince, the Sixth Prince is gone now, so it is useless to favor him.
It may also be because Lord Wu’s two children are good friends with the Sixth Prince, so Lord Wu gave a few greetings.
All the court officials were confused.
"Lord Liang, why do you look so unhappy?" An unfriendly voice sounded.
The person who spoke was Wang Mincai, the brother of Concubine Wang and the uncle of Zhao Shu.
"Alas, this young man from the Liang family is really something. If he doesn't have the ability, he shouldn't take this job. His guards were not good, which led to the Sixth Prince getting into trouble and causing His Majesty to lose his son..." Wang Mincai lowered his voice and said in a sarcastic tone in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
Liang Dongdang didn't hear what Wang Mincai said.
The disappearance of the Sixth Prince is definitely not as simple as the remnants of bandits causing trouble. It is closely related to the Wang family!
He was very upset. This time, they were severely tricked by the Wang family and the Third Prince. It would be difficult for their Liang family to make a comeback.
Wang Mincai was particularly pleased to see Liang Dong, who used to be eloquent and arrogant, now so shocked and speechless.
After the court officials arrived, the emperor also came.
The entire hall suddenly fell silent.
The emperor on the throne also looked very unhappy. He had a lot of white hair on his head, making him look much older.
Obviously, Zhao Jingxuan's accident was a big blow to him.
After discussing several major issues, some court officials brought up the issue of establishing a crown prince.
Zhao Shu's faction, His Highness Dao San is kind and benevolent, and is the best candidate for the position of Crown Prince. Please, Your Majesty, make the decision as soon as possible.
The emperor felt a bit resentful when he thought about the last time he wanted to make his third son the crown prince but encountered the collapse of Qi'an Terrace.
"The matter of appointing a crown prince will be discussed later."
The emperor left this sentence and left the court.
Soon, what happened in the court reached Zhao Shu's ears.
"Zhao Jingxuan is gone. I really don't know what Your Majesty is waiting for. Why hasn't he appointed a crown prince yet?" Wang Mincai said dissatisfiedly.
Zhao Shu was not in a hurry, and drank his tea leisurely: "The second child is a sickly person, the fourth child is absurd, the fifth child is disabled, the seventh child was born in a humble family, and the eighth child is only eight years old..."
Zhao Shu's smile deepened: "Old Six is gone, and I'm the only one left. He has no other choice."
Zhao Shu knew why the emperor was dissatisfied with him, and the matter of Qi'an Terrace was a thorn in the emperor's heart.
Even so, his ability was still outstanding among his brothers, and the emperor had no choice.
The position of crown prince will be his sooner or later, it’s just a matter of time.
There was confidence on his face.
…
The imperial palace, the emperor's bedroom.
The emperor's head was aching and throbbing. Deshun presented him with a pill, which the emperor took and he felt a little better.
"The second son is in poor health, the fourth son is absurd, the fifth son has bad legs, the seventh son is weak, and the eighth son... the eighth son is too young." The emperor sighed lightly.
He had originally chosen the sixth son to be the crown prince, so how could something go wrong?
Throughout history, there have been many cases where incompetent heirs have ruined the centuries-old foundation laid by their ancestors.
He didn't want to choose a useless crown prince who would ruin the ancestral legacy.
Is it really the third child who is the only one left?
If the boss were still alive, he would have grown into a handsome and dignified young man by now.
Looking at these good-for-nothing sons, he often thought of that child.
After Lao Liu got into trouble, and he couldn't find anyone to blame, he even wondered if he had done something wrong back then...
How did something happen to Lao Liu?
The emperor stood up.
"I'm going to see Concubine Liang."
…
Concubine Liang was bedridden and looked very unhappy.
When she saw the emperor coming, she wanted to get out of bed and pay her respects, but the emperor stopped her and asked her to lie down.
"Don't get up if you don't feel well, just lie down." The emperor said softly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Concubine Liang said softly.
Concubine Liang, who used to be impetuous and fierce, was now lying on the bed, looking listless and with a very pale face.
When Tangli said she was going to find Jingxuan, Concubine Liang was full of anticipation.
Jingxuan admired Tangli so much, and Concubine Liang also trusted Tangli and believed that she would be able to find Jingxuan.
She waited eagerly every day, day after day, from morning to night, and her hope gradually turned into despair.
It has been more than two months now. Even if she keeps lying to herself, she has to accept that Jing Xuan may really be gone.
She often dreamed that the child was in icy water, asking her for help, crying out in a sad voice, "I'm so cold, mother, I'm cold, save me." Concubine Liang reached out her hand to pull him, but she couldn't catch him.
Concubine Liang often woke up from nightmares and her body became increasingly weak.
Now there is a force that supports her to persevere, which is to find out the cause of her son's death and avenge him!
My second brother has investigated some things. There is something strange about Jing Xuan’s death. The assassination was not just by the remnants of the bandits. It is very likely that it was done by the Wang family and Zhao Shu!
Anyway, she has nothing left, so she might as well confront them head-on and never let Zhao Shu and Concubine Wang have an easy time!
"Your Majesty, I dreamed of Jing Xuan last night. He felt so wronged, saying he was murdered and asked me to avenge him..." Concubine Liang forced a smile. "This dream is so strange. Tell me, why would I have such a dream?"
Concubine Liang did not directly say that Jingxuan was murdered, but instead took a step back and let the emperor figure it out himself.
The emperor said nothing and was lost in thought.
"Your Majesty, this is for you." Concubine Liang took out a cord from under her pillow and handed it to the emperor. "My health is not good, so I put a lot of effort into making this cord. It's not as exquisite as those made by the palace maids, but it is all from my heart. Your Majesty, please don't despise it."
The emperor looked at the necklace and felt very uncomfortable.
Even in this state, Concubine Liang still cares about him. She looks fierce, but she is actually very gentle at heart and is sincere to him.
The emperor felt a little guilty.
In fact, he also realized that it was the third brother who was behind some of the trouble, and he was even more reluctant to let the third brother become the crown prince.
Let's put the matter of appointing a crown prince on hold for now.
The fact that the emperor had stayed in Concubine Liang's palace for half a day soon reached Concubine Wang's ears.
Concubine Wang gritted her teeth and wanted to crush the pastry in her hand into pieces. She was so angry!
The only people the women in the harem can rely on are their own sons.
Even though Concubine Liang has lost all her support, she can still seduce His Majesty to stay there for most of the day. What a vixen!
However, no matter how good she is at seducing people, she can't get anywhere now that her son is gone.
Your Majesty's health is getting worse and worse, and the matter of appointing a crown prince is imminent.
When Shu'er ascended the throne and became the empress dowager, she turned Concubine Liang into a human pig!
Thinking of this, Concubine Wang felt a little relieved.
What Concubine Wang didn't know was that that night, a carriage quietly entered the capital.
The young man sitting in the carriage was the Sixth Prince, Zhao Jingxuan, who was believed to be dead by everyone in the court.
A tall figure was waiting at the city gate. It was Wei Qing.
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